What Is the Spotlight Effect?

💡 The Answer

• The spotlight effect is our tendency to believe that others notice and evaluate us more than they actually do.
• This cognitive bias often makes people feel overly self-conscious in public situations, like giving a presentation.
• Classic research by Gilovich and colleagues showed people overestimate how much others notice their embarrassing mistakes.
• Awareness of the spotlight effect can reduce social anxiety by reminding us we are not the center of attention.